Dentist Blog

Posts for tag: tooth extractions

Find out why having a permanent tooth removed might actually be a good thing for your oral health.

You always hear that maintaining your natural teeth is the most important thing you can do for your oral health. After all, while there are more options than ever before for replacing missing teeth, really the best option is to keep your natural teeth healthy. Of course, here are some instances in which our downtown Atlanta, GA, dentist, Dr. Thomas Kauffman, will recommend having a tooth extracted:

Crowded Smiles

Are you planning on getting braces to fix a crowded or crooked smile? Even orthodontics may not be able to shift and align your teeth if your mouth is too small to accommodate all of your teeth. In this case, our Atlanta dentist will recommend having one or two teeth pulled prior to getting braces to help make your orthodontic treatment and results more effective.

An Infection

If you don’t come in every six months for routine cleanings then you may not even notice decay or damage brewing until it’s too late. Once the decay or infection has reached the inside of the tooth you’ll often be greeted with a pretty nasty toothache. In many cases, a root canal treatment is all that’s needed to treat the infection and remove the damaged dental pulp. However, if a root canal doesn’t treat the issue then the tooth may need to be removed.

Gum Disease

If you don’t know that you have gum disease and you don’t get routine dental care like you should then you probably won’t notice the early and subtle signs of periodontal disease. If gum disease is ignored or left undetected the infection can continue to grow, affecting the health of your jawbone. Once this happens, teeth can become loose.

Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Most wisdom teeth will need to be removed at some point during your lifetime. These third set of molars that come in during your late teens or early twenties can often cause issues such as crowding, damage to neighboring teeth or an infection. If this is the case, the best option will be to have your wisdom teeth removed.

Severe Injury

From a terrible fall to a sports injury there are many problems that can lead to a damaged tooth. While a dental crown is often the way to restore a tooth that has a mild to moderate crack, if the crack goes below the gumline then the tooth may no longer be viable and will need to be removed. If we determine that a tooth extraction is the best option we will also talk to you about your tooth replacement options.

Do you have questions about tooth extractions? Wondering whether you need to have your wisdom teeth removed? Then it’s time you scheduled a consultation with our downtown Atlanta, GA, dental office today.